1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Wedding Band. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” - Wedding Band opens on the summer of 1918 on a Saturday morning. Its set in South Carolina, beside the sea. There are three houses in a backyard, the center of which is well-fixed up, the other two being weather-beaten. One window of each is visible. Julia Augustine is the main character, a young black married woman. She is followed by the other tenants of the houses. Mattie, the mother of Teeta - an eight-year-old girl -, their leaser Fanny, Nelson the army man, Lula, Princess, the Bell Man, Julia's love interest Herman - a white German fellow - and his mother and sister Annabelle. The dramatic situation unfolds as Herman falls sick with the flu, and the other members of the black community must find a way to deal with the situation, as Julia and Herman's relationship is illegal.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE: Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students. - The intrusion is Herman collapsing with the flu, which is obvious because the play begins to take action rapidly as the members of the community, Herman's family, and Julia struggle with how to take care of him. Herman's family and Fanny don't want to call a doctor to Julia's house because it would disgrace their family and Fanny's property, where she is respected by whites and blacks alike. But the community at large is trying to control an epidemic of the flu. From then on the audience wonders if Herman will live, and if he and Julia will be able to continue on
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? - The events take place in 1918, when a black and white relationship was not only frowned upon, but marriage between the two was illegal. The main characters are a black woman and a white man who have had a 10 year love affair.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) - Will Herman and Julia get to live out their lives together in peace?
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play. - Julia most heavily encounters "Me against society" in Wedding Band. She is not allowed to publicly love Herman, or even to be married to him, yet all she wants is to do so. She just wants to live with Herman in peace. Instead she has to move from place to place because society will not accept her and her choices. Julia also encounters "Me against another individual" as Herman's mother and sister are extremely against their relationship, as well as other tenants who believe it could only bring trouble to their community. After Herman's mother yells at Julia at the end of Act Two, Scene One, all Julia wants is for them to take Herman home and keep him there. She no longer wants anything to do with his mother or Annabelle, and she wants to be free to hate them. She also encounters "Me against fate" in that Herman is taken away from her at the end of the play, and she knows that the live she wanted with him the beginning she will never get.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band. - One of the most theatrical moments is when a very sick Herman is trying to explain his love for Julia to his mother, and she gets so angry she nearly chokes him. I think another theatrical moment is when Julia is saying her goodbyes to Herman at the end of the play, right before he dies in her arms. She has bolted Annabelle and her mother outside of her house, and they are peering through the window as Julia paints a wonderful picture for Herman to die to. Annabelle moves closer to the house and listens to Julia, which signals a small, unspoken change in her. Perhaps this is a small moment pointing to the start of generational change.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) - The wedding ring that Herman gifts to her, which is a symbol how much he loves her, despite society's disdain for them. - Nelson's uniform. Despite fighting for his country, he is still tormented. This shows how even in a time of true need of blacks in the army, they are still not seen as equal there. - Tickets to New York. This symbolizes Herman's want for a new life. It also later acts as a symbol for Julia's love for Mattie, wanting their life to be better than her own.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band. - Racism, Love, Marriage, Family, War.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think? - I think family is at the heart of Wedding Band. Herman is Julia's family, despite never having a legal or accepted bond to him. She is always faithful, like when the Bell Man comes onto her and she shows her loyalty to Herman by fighting him off. Then, when she gives her tickets to Mattie and her daughter, we see there is a family feeling there, as well. Neither of these relationships are in blood and yet they are more loyal than Herman and his own mother and sister.
DEADLINE: Please complete all of your work on this play by Sunday January 28 on or before 12:01am.
- Wedding Band opens on the summer of 1918 on a Saturday morning. Its set in South Carolina, beside the sea. There are three houses in a backyard, the center of which is well-fixed up, the other two being weather-beaten. One window of each is visible. Julia Augustine is the main character, a young black married woman. She is followed by the other tenants of the houses. Mattie, the mother of Teeta - an eight-year-old girl -, their leaser Fanny, Nelson the army man, Lula, Princess, the Bell Man, Julia's love interest Herman - a white German fellow - and his mother and sister Annabelle. The dramatic situation unfolds as Herman falls sick with the flu, and the other members of the black community must find a way to deal with the situation, as Julia and Herman's relationship is illegal.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE:
Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students.
- The intrusion is Herman collapsing with the flu, which is obvious because the play begins to take action rapidly as the members of the community, Herman's family, and Julia struggle with how to take care of him. Herman's family and Fanny don't want to call a doctor to Julia's house because it would disgrace their family and Fanny's property, where she is respected by whites and blacks alike. But the community at large is trying to control an epidemic of the flu. From then on the audience wonders if Herman will live, and if he and Julia will be able to continue on
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
- The events take place in 1918, when a black and white relationship was not only frowned upon, but marriage between the two was illegal. The main characters are a black woman and a white man who have had a 10 year love affair.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
- Will Herman and Julia get to live out their lives together in peace?
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play.
- Julia most heavily encounters "Me against society" in Wedding Band. She is not allowed to publicly love Herman, or even to be married to him, yet all she wants is to do so. She just wants to live with Herman in peace. Instead she has to move from place to place because society will not accept her and her choices. Julia also encounters "Me against another individual" as Herman's mother and sister are extremely against their relationship, as well as other tenants who believe it could only bring trouble to their community. After Herman's mother yells at Julia at the end of Act Two, Scene One, all Julia wants is for them to take Herman home and keep him there. She no longer wants anything to do with his mother or Annabelle, and she wants to be free to hate them. She also encounters "Me against fate" in that Herman is taken away from her at the end of the play, and she knows that the live she wanted with him the beginning she will never get.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
- One of the most theatrical moments is when a very sick Herman is trying to explain his love for Julia to his mother, and she gets so angry she nearly chokes him. I think another theatrical moment is when Julia is saying her goodbyes to Herman at the end of the play, right before he dies in her arms. She has bolted Annabelle and her mother outside of her house, and they are peering through the window as Julia paints a wonderful picture for Herman to die to. Annabelle moves closer to the house and listens to Julia, which signals a small, unspoken change in her. Perhaps this is a small moment pointing to the start of generational change.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
- The wedding ring that Herman gifts to her, which is a symbol how much he loves her, despite society's disdain for them.
- Nelson's uniform. Despite fighting for his country, he is still tormented. This shows how even in a time of true need of blacks in the army, they are still not seen as equal there.
- Tickets to New York. This symbolizes Herman's want for a new life. It also later acts as a symbol for Julia's love for Mattie, wanting their life to be better than her own.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
- Racism, Love, Marriage, Family, War.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think?
- I think family is at the heart of Wedding Band. Herman is Julia's family, despite never having a legal or accepted bond to him. She is always faithful, like when the Bell Man comes onto her and she shows her loyalty to Herman by fighting him off. Then, when she gives her tickets to Mattie and her daughter, we see there is a family feeling there, as well. Neither of these relationships are in blood and yet they are more loyal than Herman and his own mother and sister.
DEADLINE: Please complete all of your work on this play by Sunday January 28 on or before 12:01am.